Niwa is the First Smartphone-controlled Plant Growing System

A while ago, we shared with you an interesting list with some of the best gardening tools and gadgets that you could use to combine traditional gardening, be it outside or on the inside, with the latest technologies. And today we’re talking about another interesting similar tool, called Niwa, which is touted as the world’s first smartphone-controlled plant growing system. For those of us living in cities, it’s getting harder and harder to procure healthy food, so more are getting interested in such devices.

Niwa is the culmination of two years of research and development, the result of many iterations, trials, and prototypes. It`s is a combination of hardware and software working together to take away the hassle of gardening as you know it. Niwa creates the perfect growing environment, waters and feeds your plants and allows you to control it all from your smartphone. We`ve spent last 2 years working with farming experts to distill their knowledge into Niwa’s brain- a powerful microcontroller which has all the expertise of an experienced farmer. You don’t need to worry about how often to water your plants, if they’re warm enough, or if the humidity is optimal for their growth- Niwa knows

Niwa is a fully connected growing system that lets you to grow your own fruit, veg, flowers, and even herbs by relying on the hydroponics method which makes use of mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Niwa makes use of a number of sensors and actuators in order to create the perfect environment for your plants to grow healthy. Being connected to the internet, it transmits all the data and you are able to control the temperature, humidity, and light cycles. Or, you could let Niwa take care of all that, as it also comes with an automated irrigation system which will water and feed the plants whenever they need it.

Niwa also comes with a fan which ensures that your plants get as much air as they need. With all of that technology inside, the system even manages to have an appealing design, which will fit in with your urban lifestyle. However, despite being very smart, Niwa will need your assistance to make sure that your plant grow in the most natural way. That’s why you will be asked in different stage of the plants’ growth simple questions like – “can you see flowers?”. Depending on your answer, Niwa will adjust its growth setting, changing the water, light and ventilation cycles as well as light conditions.

Niwa comes with a free app which is available on iOS and Android and makes growing plants a fun and interactive experience. At the moment, you can get a mall Niwa system for $249 on Kickstarter or a bigger one for $249.

What we think of this

I’m always concerned about the quality of the food that I’m eating and buying a system like this has always been on my mind, but I still think the price is a little to big. I’d consider getting one for somewhere around the $100 mark.